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Productivity · 8 alternatives

Instead of Google Keep, try one of these 8.

Every alternative is lined up against Google Keep on what people actually switch for: price, open source, self-hosting, offline use and platforms. Google Keep sits in the first row, so you can see what you give up.

Show onlySorted by likes · 8 of 8
Alternative
Price
Open source
Self-host
Offline
Platforms
Google KeepWhat you have now
Simple cross-device notes and checklists.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
Obsidian#1
Private, local-first knowledge base built on plain Markdown files.
PriceFreemium
sync $4/mo
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
AppFlowy#2
Open-source Notion alternative you can fully own and self-host.
PriceFreemium
cloud from $10
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineYes
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
Microsoft OneNote#3
Free-form digital notebook that ships with Microsoft 365.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
Joplin#4
Open-source note taking with end-to-end encrypted sync.
PriceFree
cloud $3/mo
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
Evernote#5
Classic note-taking app for capturing ideas, clips and to-dos.
PriceFreemium
from $15/mo
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
Standard Notes#6
Simple, encrypted notes app focused on privacy and longevity.
PriceFreemium
from $7/mo
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineYes
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
Notesnook#7
Open-source encrypted notes with private sync.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
PrivacyNotes#8
Encrypted workspace for notes, files, and journal.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android

How to read this. “Yes” means fully supported by the maker. “Partial” means it works with caveats. Likes reflect community popularity; vendors can’t pay for them or for placement. How we compare.

Google Keep alternatives at a glance

Google Keep is a free productivity app. We compared 8 alternatives: 5 are open source, 2 are completely free, 4 can be self-hosted and 4 work fully offline. The most popular is Obsidian, with 3.9k likes.

Most liked overallObsidian

Private, local-first knowledge base built on plain Markdown files.

Freemium · Works offline
Best free optionMicrosoft OneNote

Free-form digital notebook that ships with Microsoft 365.

Free
Best open-source optionAppFlowy

Open-source Notion alternative you can fully own and self-host.

Freemium · Open source · Self‑hostable · Works offline
Best to self-hostJoplin

Open-source note taking with end-to-end encrypted sync.

Free · Open source · Self‑hostable · Works offline

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